Philippine Communist Rebels Call-Off Their Ceasefire

ENDING CEASEFIRE. NPA guerillas somewhere in Compostela Valley during the celebration of the 44th anniversary of the re-establishment of the Communist Party of the Philippines last December 26. Photo by Karlos Manlupig

Philippine Communist Rebels Call Off Truce -- Al Jazeera

Communist Party of the Philippines cuts ceasefire with government short, raising concerns about future of peace talks.

Communist rebels in the Philippines have called off a truce with the government, almost two weeks ahead of schedule, raising concerns about the future of peace talks.

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) blamed the government for their action on Wednesday, but a spokesman for President Benigno Aquino said the CPP just wanted an excuse to cut the ceasefire short.

A CPP statement said the truce, originally scheduled to run from December 20 to January 15, had ended at noon on Wednesday because it believed the government only wanted a truce to remain in place until then.

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More News On The Philippine Communist Rebels Calling-Off Their Ceasefire

Communists scuttle truce with government -- Gulf News
Philippine communists call off truce -- AFP
Philippine Communist Rebels Call-Off Their Ceasefire -- Davo Today
CPP terminates ceasefire; gov’t slams ‘false claims’ -- Rappler
Gov’t troops to unilaterally honor ceasefire with leftist rebels: official -- NZWeek/Xinhuanet

Update: Philippine govt: Talks with leftist rebels "back on track" -- Global Times

A 2012 Peace Deal Between The Philippines Government And Communist Rebels?

Photo: File photo shows Communist rebels standing in formation on the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. The Philippine government and communist rebels locked in a 42-year conflict have agreed to aim for a peace deal within 18 months, the two sides said after wrapping up talks in Norway late on Monday.

Filipino Gov't, Rebels Aim For 2012 Peace Deal -- Stars And Stripes

NESBRU, Norway (AP) -- Negotiators for the Philippines government and communist rebels agreed Monday on a road map for continued peace talks aimed at resolving one of Asia's longest-running conflicts by June 2012.

Ending the first round of long-stalled peace negotiations in Norway, the two sides agreed to meet again in April and every two months after that.

"Tonight finds us on the zigzag path to peace," government negotiator Alexander Padilla said. "But we have taken the first step."

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More News On Peace Talks Between The Philippine Government And Communist Rebels

Philippine communists talks set goal of peace by 2012 -- BBC
Manila and Maoists claim truce violations before talks end -- Reuters
Philippines, communists aim for peace in 18 months -- AFP
Philippines, communists aim for peace in 18 months -- Straits Times
Philippines, communists aim for peace in 18 months -- Bangkok Post
Govt, NDF eye end of hostilities by 2012 -- ABS CBN
Gov't, NDF vow to end 'war' by 2012 -- Mb.com.ph
Philippines: Rebels and Government Meet and Agree to Continue Talks -- New York Times

Philippine Presidential Election Results Indicate Benigno Aquino III Set For Landslide Win

Benigno Aquino III Set For Landslide Philippines Election Victory -- The Guardian

Son of former president Corazon Aquino vows to fight corruption as count puts him ahead in presidential poll.

Benigno Aquino III, the son of former Philippine president Corazon Aquino, promised today to fulfil his campaign promise to fight corruption as he headed for a landslide victory in the country's presidential elections. "I will not only not steal, but I'll have the corrupt arrested," Aquino, 50, said in his first comments since yesterday's poll. Massive corruption has long dogged the Philippines, tainting electoral politics and skimming billions of public funds in a country where a third of the population lives on $1 a day.

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More News On The Philippine Presidential Election

Son of Corazon Aquino leading in Philippine presidential election -- L.A. Times
Aquino holds lead in Philippine vote -- CNN
4 presidential candidates yield to Aquino -- UPI
Benigno Aquino, son of beloved president, leads Philippine election results 2010 -- Christian Science Monitor
Son of democracy icons likely next Philippine prez -- AP
Profile: Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino -- BBC
Philippines election: Voters' views -- BBC
Difficult to see a winner in the Philippine elections -- The National

Philippines To Lift Martial Law

From The New York Times/AP:

MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- The Philippine president lifted martial law late Saturday in a southern province where 57 people were massacred in the country's worst political violence, but the area will remain under a state of emergency as authorities investigate a powerful clan accused in the carnage.

The opposition said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made the move to pre-empt possible censure by the Supreme Court. The court had ordered the government to comment by Monday on at least seven petitions questioning the legal basis for last week's proclamation, which allowed police and soldiers to make arrests without warrants.

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More News On The Philippines Ending Martial Law

Martial Law Ended In Philippine Massacre Province -- CBS News
Martial law ended in Philippine massacre province -- AP
Philippines lifts martial law, ordered after massacre -- CNN
Philippines lifts martial law in 'massacre' province -- BBC
Martial law lifted in south Philippine province -- CBC
Philippines says to lift martial law in south -- Reuters

Martial Law Declared in Philippine Province

Martial Law Declared in Philippine Province After Massacre -- Voice of America

Government officials say President Gloria Arroyo suspended civil rights in Maguindanao province Saturday, allowing troops to make arrests without warrants.

Philippine officials have put a southern province under martial law and have arrested the patriarch of a powerful clan following last week's massacre of 57 people.

Government officials say President Gloria Arroyo suspended civil rights in Maguindanao province Saturday, allowing troops to make arrests without warrants.

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More News On The Philippines

Martial law in Philippines province after massacre -- BBC
Martial law set in Philippines province -- UPI
Arroyo Declares Martial Law In Maguindanao To Preempt Rebellion -- AHN
Martial law imposed after Philippines massacre -- Euronews
Philippine President Declares Martial Law -- Wall Street Journal
Martial law imposed on Phillipines massacre region -- AFP
Philippines: Social Media puts spotlight on the Maguindanao Massacre -- Global Voices

Aftermath Of The Philippines Massacre

Philippines Massacre: Women Thought They Were Safe. They Were Wrong -- Times Online

He knew that powerful and ruthless people wanted him dead and that he was risking everything by standing for election — but to one practical challenge at least, Ismael Mangudadatu thought he had a solution.

If he went in person to register as a candidate he would be inviting an attack by his enemies — the Ampatuan clan who have a near-monopoly on elected posts in the region. Instead, after consultation with his family and advisers, Mr Mangudadatu decided to send his wife and two sisters.

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More News On The Philippine Massacre

Filipino mayor from political family charged over massacre -- The Guardian
Philippine Mayor Charged With Mass Murder for Election-Related Massacre -- Voice of America
Philippine Official Says Victims Were Sexually Mutilated -- New York Times
Filipino who lost wife in massacre files candidacy -- AP
Husband of Philippine massacre victim files candidacy -- Reuters
Two Army commanders sacked -- Inquirer.net
Philippine army chiefs 'stand down' over massacre -- AFP
Philippines massacre: 25 journalists named -- The Guardian
Massacre death toll reaches 64 -- Inquirer.net

Death Toll In Southern Philippines Massacre Reaches 57

Death Toll In Philippines Massacre Rises -- The Telegraph

The death toll from a politically motivated massacre in the Philippines rose to 57 yesterday after 11 more bodies were discovered.

President Gloria Arroyo declared a national day of mourning and pledged to arrest the perpetrators as police said they were investigating a group loyal to the government.

The victims, some of whom were found in mass graves, were killed on Monday as they travelled to file nomination papers for the forthcoming elections.

A total of 13 journalists were among the dead, leading the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders to call it "the largest single massacre of journalists ever".

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More News On The Massacre In The Philippines

Philippines 'poll-related' deaths rise to 57 -- BBC
Clan allied to Philippine president suspected of being behind massacre -- The Guardian
Philippines Death Toll Rises to 57, Attack Most Deadly Ever on Media -- FOX News/SKY News
Massacre Makes Philippines World's Deadliest Place For Journalists -- All Headline News
Twelve Reporters Slaughtered: The Worst Day In The History Of Journalism -- Huffington Post
Philippines massacre: journalists' death toll rises to 21 -- The Guardian
Eleven more bodies found at Philippine massacre site -- Reuters
Philippine Police Name Massacre Suspect as More Bodies Recovered -- Voice of America
Philippines: Arrests likely soon in killings -- CNN

Philippines Declares State of Emergency

Civilians look on as police officers carry dead bodies on a dump truck along a hillside in Datu Ampatuan, Maguindanao province, southern Philippines, 24 Nov 2009. Photo from Voice of America.

Philippines Imposes Emergency; Massacre Toll Reaches 46 -- Yahoo News/Reuters

AMPATUAN, Philippines (Reuters) – The Philippines placed two southern provinces and a city under emergency rule on Tuesday after gunmen killed 46 people in a brutal election-related massacre that has shocked the country.

Many of the victims in the killings in Maguindanao province were women from the powerful Mangudadatu clan. About a dozen journalists were also among the dead.

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More News On The Massacre In the Philippines

Philippines declares emergency after 46 killed -- Yahoo News/AP
Philippines calls emergency as massacre toll hits 46 -- Yahoo News/AFP
Philippines Declares State of Emergency as Massacre Victims Mount -- Voice of America
Death toll rises in Philippines massacre -- CNN
Philippines 'poll massacre' toll hits 46 -- Press TV
Philippine election violence prompts emergency measures -- The Guardian
At least 46 dead in pre-poll Philippines massacre -- Euronews
Philippines Declares Emergency After Election Violence -- New York Times
Homicidal vendettas integral to Filipino politics -- The Telegraph
Arroyo calls out the troops to stem violence -- Sydney Morning Herald

Philippine Military Overrun Rebel Bases

Marine soldiers on armored vehicle secure a road in
Patikul town in southern Jolo island. Photo AFP

Philippine Army Overruns Abu Sayyaf Camp in Hunt for Leaders -- Bloomberg

The Philippines army said it overran a camp where leaders of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group were gathering, losing eight soldiers in fighting that killed as many as 22 militants.

Security forces began the operation in the southern island of Sulu on Sept. 20 in an attempt to capture Isnilon Hapilon and two other Abu Sayyaf leaders at a camp in Indanan Sulu, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner said today. The military wasn’t able to arrest or confirm the presence of the three leaders at the base.

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More News On The Philippines

Toll rises as Philippines steps up hunt for militants -- Washington Post/Reuters
Jolo clashes claim more lives -- Al Jazeera
Philippine island braces for extremist revenge -- AFP
Clashes with Muslim rebels kill 32 in Philippines -- AFP

Philippine Rebel Predicts Wider Insurgency

Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Philippine Communist Party, is shown with his wife Julie de Lima at a 2007 press conference at his headquarters in the Dutch city of Utrecht. He has lived in the Netherlands since 1987. Reuters

From The Wall Street Journal:

Communist Group's Founder Says Ranks of Guerrillas to Grow.

UTRECHT, the Netherlands -- More than 40 years after founding the Communist Party of the Philippines, a former literature professor who has long stayed outside his homeland says the party's military wing plans to significantly increase its armed capabilities in the next three years

Jose Maria Sison, who was imprisoned in 1977 by then-President Ferdinand Marcos and freed in 1986 by Corazon Aquino shortly after "People Power" put her in power, says the insurgency he seeded with Maoist ideas intends to use sympathizers to recruit 3,000 to 5,000 new guerrillas in impoverished rural areas.

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My Comment: The last time a person who went to Europe to become a "university professor", and returned back to Asia was Pol Pot, the leader of the Communist Khmer Rouge who were responsible for murdering 3 million Cambodian citizens in the 1970s.

Shame on the Netherlands for giving refugee status to someone who openly boasts of an organization that is committed to revolution and mass murder.

Corazon Aquino, 1933-2009 -- News Updates And Commentaries

People Power's Philippine Saint: Corazon Aquino, 1933-2009 -- Time Magazine

The arc of Corazon Aquino's life lent itself to maxims, but two hard-nosed ones seem particularly worth pointing out. First, political sainthood is a gift from heaven with a Cinderella deadline — once past midnight, you are a pumpkin. Second, personal virtues are never a guarantee of effective or successful governance. What was truly shocking about Aquino's tumultuous six-year term as President of the Philippines was that those maxims proved untrue. Midnight always threatened Aquino but never struck; and she was a good woman whose goodness alone, at the very end, was what proved enough, if only by an iota, to save her country.

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More News On The Passing Of Corazon Aquino

Former Philippines president Aquino dead at 76 -- AP
Aquino, heroine of Philippine people power, dies -- Reuters
Philippines ex-leader Aquino dies -- BBC
Former Philippine president Aquino dies -- Financial Times
Corazon Aquino, Former Philippines President, Dead At 76 -- NPR
From housewife to People Power, Aquino kept the faith -- San Francisco Chronicle
Democracy hero Aquino dies, aged 76 -- The Australian
Philippine's people power leader Aquino dies -- ABC News (Australia)
Cory Aquino, Philippine democracy icon, dies at 76 -- Philippine Star
Corazon Aquino | 1933-2009 -- L.A. Times (Photos)

Philippine Army's Campaign Against MILF Is Showing Gains

Philippine Special Operations Forces (Photo from Special Operations)

13 MILF 'Satellite Camps' Overrun In Maguindanao: Military -- ABS-CBN News

Troops have overrun 13 "satellite camps" of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) group in Mindanao, the military said Tuesday.

The camps, all in the province of Maguindanao, fell "after a series of armed confrontations against the rogue MILF," regional army commander Major General Alfredo Cayton said in a statement.

Soldiers recovered a cache of weapons, including grenade launchers, mortars, grenades, shotguns and assault rifles in a week-long operation, he said.

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More News On Philippine Anti-Insurgency Operations Against MILF And Islamic Extremists

13 rebel camps overrun in Philippines: military -- Yehey News
Military says it has overrun MILF camps -- RFI
Filipino-Muslim rebels hid JI militants - govt report -- Reuters
Philippines: Sanctuary For Foreign Terrorists -- Strategy Page

Fresh Fighting In The Philippines

Fresh Fighting In South Philippines Kills 27 People -- Reuters

MANILA, March 28 (Reuters) - At least 27 people were killed, including seven soldiers, and dozens were wounded when troops battled about 80 rogue members of the Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group in the south, an army spokesman said on Saturday.

Philippine troops have been fighting a rogue faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the southern island of Mindanao for nearly eight months after the renegade rebel forces burned farms and homes in Catholic-dominated towns in the south.

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More News On The Philippines

Bloody clash in south Philippines -- BBC
Fresh fighting in south Philippines kills 27 people -- Reuters
27 dead in Philippine rebel clash: military -- AFP
Many dead in Philippines fighting -- Al Jazeera
Philippines partially gives in to kidnappers' demand -- Reuters

Rebels Torch Philippine Village

Image from the Long War Journal

From The Straight Times:

COTABATO (Philippines) - MUSLIM separatists torched the homes of 30 Christian families in an attack on a southern Philippines village, the military said on Thursday.

No casualties were reported following Wednesday's raid by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the farming hamlet of Sangay, but the rebels are still occupying the area, said regional military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Julieto Ando.

'The rebels set on fire a total of 30 houses of Christian civilians. The problem there has something to do with land conflict,' Col Ando told reporters.

Some 500 families have fled Sangay for the nearby town of Kalamansig, Col Ando added.

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